Lullaby
by Samalander
Summary: This ISN'T one of those sappy "Haku-loves-Chihiro" love stories. After weeks of nights plagued by nightmares, a desperate Haku goes to Kii, an "entertainer" at the bathhouse, to help him get a decent night's sleep. Shounen-ai.
1. Yamanashi, ochinashi, iminashi

**Disclaimer:** Kii/ Kione, the entertainer, is property of me, Samalander, but you can rent him for two gold an hour. 

**Chapter One: Yama-nashi, Ochi-nashi, Imi-nashi**

The bathhouse had always been a noisy place. During business hours, there was the chatter of the customers, the gurgle and splash of the water in the tubs, the sliding of the doors on their tracks, and the shouts of the staff; even after the bathhouse closed, and in the morning before it opened for business once more, there was the creak of feet on wooden floorboards, the giggles of maids cleaning the tubs, and the crash and clatter of cookware from the kitchens. 

Yet even through all this noise, the soft strains of music from Kii's lute were all Haku heard as he made his way down the hall lined with shadows behind delicate rice-paper doors. 

He could see Kii's shadow as he neared the last room in the hallway: a small, delicate figure lost in ornate robes, accompanied by the hulking form of a much larger creature—_The Radish spirit again,_ Haku thought disgustedly. _It escapes me how Kii could… But that's his job, not mine._ He could hear Kii humming softly to the tune of his lute, see the Radish spirit swaying to the melody. 

Haku hated that damned lute. The sound of it made his skin crawl. He'd seen it sitting in Kii's room on occasion: to him, just a hunk of carved wood and strings. He wanted to snatch it up and bash it to pieces on the hard wooden floor, throw the splinters into the fire in the boiler room. But he wasn't allowed to touch it; no one was, not even Yubaba, just as no one was allowed to touch Kii… without paying first. 

Kii finished his song; the sound of the lute died into silence. Haku cringed, straining his ears to hear something, _anything_ over the din of the other customers in the hallway. Much as he hated the sound of the lute, the silence was worse. He couldn't bring himself to watch the shadows through the door; instead, he stared at the floor, fists clenched, waiting for Kii to emerge. 

…And to Haku's great relief, in a few moments the door slid open and Kii appeared, cradling his lute in his arms like an infant child. He stared at Haku calmly and silently, as if he'd been expecting him to be standing there all along—and perhaps he had. Haku swallowed. 

Kii was several inches shorter than Haku, with soft feminine features and silky black hair that he tied into a loose bun at the nape of his neck. He wore a rich scarlet kimono that was embroidered in gold, and so loose on him that it was often seen slipping off of his shoulders, as it was now. Long lashes lowered, Kii demurely covered himself more properly and said in a low, silky voice, "Do you mind? You're in my way." 

"I—" Haku began, then cleared his throat. "Do you have a moment? I'd like to speak with you." 

Kii stepped gracefully around him, kimono rustling. "I'm sorry; I don't. I have another customer waiting." 

Haku ground his teeth silently. Of all the bathhouse staff, excepting Yubaba, Kii was the only one allowed to talk down to anyone he liked, as long as he got his work done. It grated on the nerves, but Haku wouldn't like to have Kii's job, either. He turned and followed Kii as he moved with a studied grace down the hall. "Is there some time when I _can_ talk to you?" Haku bristled as Kii ignored him. "Kii, I—" he sighed and dug out two gold coins from his pocket and shoved them in Kii's face. "I'd like to make an appointment!" 

Kii stopped in the middle of the hallway and raised his eyes to meet Haku's. He lifted a slender hand and took the gold coins, then dropped them into an embroidered pouch that hung at his waist. "I can only see you after the bathhouse closes; I'm too busy otherwise. Wait for me in the third room on the right in the first hall." 

"In the _hallway?"_ Haku looked around, reddening. "But—" 

"Then where?" Kii looked annoyed. "On Yubaba's oriental rug? Please don't waste my time." 

Haku took a breath. It was useless asking Kii to lower his voice, since the his tone was so low already that it was the topic of conversation, and not the volume, that made people stop and listen. Assuring himself that he wasn't asking Kii to do anything unsavory, he said, "My rooms. Second floor from the top." 

Without so much as a nod, Kii swept away again. Haku had only the knowledge that he'd kept the money offered as assurance that he'd come. Ignoring the curious patrons that had cracked the doors to listen in on his conversation, Haku continued down the hallway. 


	2. Heartstrings

**Chapter Two: Heartstrings**

Haku paced nervously around the futon in his room, glancing out at the waning moon, sure now that Kii wasn't going to come, hadn't intended to come at all. _I'm a fool,_ Haku thought darkly, finally sitting down on his futon, bare soles of his feet together. _I let him set me up. He should be punished for mocking me—_

He froze as he heard a quiet step outside his door, the rustle of heavy fabric. Someone knocked: two beats, exactly in time with Haku's pounding heart. 

Haku opened his mouth to invite Kii inside, but his voice stuck in his throat. He closed his mouth as the door opened and Kii stepped into the room, holding his lute by the neck. "What is it you called me here for?" Kii asked softly. His voice sounded gentle and caring, but his eyes were like lead. He stepped into the center of the room and took one glance around, then focused on Haku again. 

Haku shook his head to clear it; Kii's kimono was slipping off of his shoulder again and he could just see one pale, bare foot peeking out from underneath the bottom hem. "I—" he cleared his throat. "I've been having trouble sleeping," he managed, feeling his ears go red. "The customers say your music is very relaxing—I thought—" 

Kii cut him off. "You want a lullaby." In one fluid movement, he sat down on the wooden floor next to Haku's futon. He brought one knee upright to support the lute while he played, letting the other lay flat on the floor. Haku stole a glance at the place where Kii's kimono was lifted because of his odd position, but the room was already too dim to see anything clearly. In the scarce light of the sliver of moon outside, Kii's bare leg was hidden in a black shadow. Haku wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. _Stop thinking like that,_ he told himself angrily. _All I want to do is go to sleep. Besides, he does it on purpose. He's been taught give glimpses of his skin to keep customers coming back for more._ But he had to admit that he liked the way the moonlight played on Kii's skin, like a peach blossom under the stars. 

Kii lifted his lute. "Lay down. Shall I play?" 

Haku lay back on the futon, drawing the blanket up under his arms. He turned on his side so his back was to Kii, feeling anxious and jittery. This had definitely been a bad idea. How was he going to get to sleep like this? 

Then Kii struck a note on his lute, and everything else seemed to melt away. He heard Kii hum the same note he'd just played, then pluck another clear tone out of the lute. Haku realized he was just making sure the instrument was still in tune, but the sound sent chills up his spine all the same. He remembered that earlier that day he'd hated the lute's music, wanted to destroy it, but now he couldn't bring himself to dislike it. Kii finally started to play a song, and after the first few notes he began to sing. 

The words were unfamiliar to Haku, but the tune was one he felt he'd heard a thousand times before. Kii's voice was high and clear, and Haku imagined him swaying to the music, his eyes closed, concentrating on his art. 

_"Poor maiden who stands on the river's edge,"_ Kii sang in the musical-poem style that had gained some popularity in the spirit world over the past few months. It was a difficult style to master; most musicians to attempted it ended up sounding like dying cats, but Kii sang the twisting, complex melody perfectly, his voice blending one note into the next. _"She cries for her lover. Hide your face, poor maiden, while your tears wash the blood away. Hide his corpse, O maiden, and suffer not another day…"_

Haku saw in his mind's eye a woman clad all in white, the color of mourning. Blood stained her hands and her sad, round face like sakura petals, and she wept while the quick currents of the river carried away the body of her abusive husband. She was not sad because her husband was dead, nor guilty because she had killed him, but afraid of what might happen next. 

_"Hide your face, poor maiden, don't let them see your tears of joy. Find your place, O maiden, mend the life that man destroyed…" _

Poor maiden… 

O maiden… 

You mustn't let them see… 


	3. Night Music

**Chapter Three: Night Music**

  


Haku woke to the sound of a bird singing on the rail of the balcony outside his room. The gray light of dawn filtered through the drawn curtains. He sat up, his mind still fuzzy with sleep. 

Haku shook his head as the memories of the previous night came back to him. "Kii?" he called, looking around. The room was empty. _Of course, he wouldn't stay all night in here while I was sleeping,_ he thought with a frown. Still, some part of him was disappointed that Kii had left without so much as saying goodbye. Yawning, he stood up. He felt refreshed; Haku hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks—he would be plagued by nightmares, then wake up with a start in the dead of night, dripping cold sweat and panting. This morning, however was one after a night with no dreams at all, and he'd slept soundly. 

"I guess I got my money's worth," he said aloud. Startled, the bird on his balcony flew away. 

Haku was about to go looking for Kii—he wasn't sure why, to thank him, he supposed—when there was a knock on his door. Haku's stomach clenched. "Erm—" he coughed, trying to clear his throat. "Yes?" 

"Master Haku!" It was the Foreman. "Yubaba wants to see you. Right away!" 

Haku grimaced. "What's that old hag doing awake at this hour?" He muttered under his breath, then called back, "Yes, yes, I'm coming." He dressed hurriedly, then exited from his room and followed the Foreman up to Yubaba's rooms on the next floor.   


***

  


When Haku returned late that night from Yubaba's mission, he'd all but forgotten about thanking Kii. He was trudging up to his rooms, rubbing a bruised spot on his shoulder, when he glimpsed the musician emerging from a room with a heavy, richly carved and decorated door. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose, eyes closed, looking tired and annoyed. He looked up as Haku approached. 

"Kii?" Haku ventured. He cast a glance at the now-shut door. "What's going on?" 

Kii met Haku's eyes for a moment, then looked away, and his features settled into their usual haughty, bored expression. "It isn't any of your business." 

Stung, Haku replied, "No, I suppose it isn't; I'm asking anyway." 

Kii's eyes narrowed, and Haku could practically feel him closing up. Squaring his shoulders and lifting his chin, Kii said, "I was seeing a client. He's a regular, and he brings the bathhouse a lot of money. He requests my services in particular." 

Haku felt sick inside. 'services,' he'd said. He knew too well what that meant. His eyes traveled down the length of Kii's kimono for a moment; Kii held himself stiff and too straight, obviously in pain and trying hard not to show it. _And I add insult to injury by forcing him to humiliate himself for me,_ he thought miserably. Trying to keep his sympathy from creeping into his features, Haku nodded. "Ah—very well. Be on your way, then." He moved aside to let Kii pass, then watched him descending the stairs, gingerly testing the weight on each foot before stepping down. Belatedly, Haku noticed that he wasn't carrying his lute.   


Haku lay awake for a long time that night, staring out his window at the stars. The new moon cast no light, and the room was very dark. Close to dawn, Haku heard drops of rain start to rattle on the balcony, and shortly after that, he fell asleep.   


_"No!!"_

Haku sat straight up, his heart pounding, his breathing ragged. Scraps of his nightmare faded with the last of the light from the stars as the sun began to throw out wisps of pinkish light in the East. Wiping sweat off of his brow, Haku slumped back into bed and pulled his blanket over his head with a groan. Morning already… with Yubaba's mission and the most recent nightmare, he doubted he could have gotten more than two hours' sleep. He felt heavy and drained, and his shoulder was sore from where he'd bruised it earlier. When he pulled off his shirt to inspect the wound, he found it throbbing with pain and gloriously black. He shrugged his shoulder, testing the movement, then cried out in pain and curled up, drawing his knees to his chest. p>He lay on his futon and stared out the window at the rising sun, his view partially obscured by his pillow and a stray lock of hair. Why had the nightmares left him alone after Kii's lullaby? There was nothing magic about Kii's lute; Haku had gotten a close look at it once or twice, and it was as ordinary as any instrument, no talismans, no song-sprites, nothing. As for Kii himself… Well, there were very few real humans in the spirit world, and it's inhabitants were anything but 'ordinary', but as it was obvious that Kii was neither a frog nor a slug, and Haku was unsure what else to label him, the best word he could come up with was 'unexceptionable'. 

An unexceptionable musician with an ordinary instrument had managed to chase off his nightmares. _Well, then, that explains everything,_ Haku thought sarcastically as he pushed his blanket off of him with his feet and sat up, wincing at the pain in his shoulder. Whatever Kii was, or whatever he could do, it was apparent that Haku wasn't going to be able to get a decent night's sleep—at least not for now—unless Kii was there. _And while I'm making another appointment, I may as well ask him what his secret is._ Haku sighed and pulled on a new shirt. _Like he'd tell me._


	4. Dawn

**Chapter Four: Dawn**

  


As it was still just barely dawn, Haku decided to try and find Kii in his rooms before he went out to see his first client. Smoothing down his clothes and resisting the urge to check his reflection in a mirror, he went down to the bottom floor, then out the back door towards the boiler room. 

The sea was flat and calm, slate-gray rippling with pink as the sun made its way over the horizon. The Train slipped by below the stairs, silent except for a gentle _shhp-shhp-shhp_ as it forged through the water. Haku watched it go, letting his feet find their own way down the stairs, grown familiar after he'd traversed them so many times. Had Kii come to the bathhouse on that train? Did Yubaba have his real name locked away somewhere in her office? So many questions. _Too many,_ Haku thought. _But then again, why should I care? He does his work, and I do mine. _

But does his work give him nightmares? 

Haku thought of the ornate door he'd seen Kii coming out of the previous night. _"He's a regular, and he brings the bathhouse a lot of money,"_ Kii had said then. _"He requests my services in particular."_ Haku imagined Kii cowering, wide-eyed, in the huge, black shadow of some hulking, ugly creature. He shuddered, pushing away the thought, as he opened the door to the boiler room and stepped inside quietly. 

Kumaji was still asleep, snoring softly. Soot-sprites peeked shyly out at Haku as he tiptoed across the wooden floor to the hall on the other side. There, tucked behind a row of wooden crates and odd boxes, was the door to Kii's room: small and unmarked, the green paint was peeling off at the top and it looked like it might have once been a janitor's room or an extra storage closet. Haku knocked before he could lose his nerve; his fist on the wooden door sounded like a gunshot in the silence and Kumaji snorted and turned over… and the door creaked open four inches. 

Haku stood and stared, dumbfounded, at the door, as if it had suddenly turned purple or come off of its hinges and walked away. In a few moments he shook himself out of his daze and pushed the door open a bit more, taking a deep breath before peeking inside. 

Kii's red kimono hung on a stand in a corner, next to a window that looked out on the sea to the North. There was another kimono, longer and cut in a distinct feminine style, in a glass case against one wall. A wooden wardrobe stood against the opposite wall, and on the floor, not much more than a tangle of black hair at the end of a black futon patterned with red carp, was Kii. 

Haku could tell by the shallow rise and fall of Kii's bare shoulder under his blanket and the sound of peaceful breathing that Kii was still asleep. Embarrassed, he started to retreat, but as he did he felt a splinter from one of the wooden crates stab into his own bare toe, and he let out half of a smothered yelp as he clapped a hand over his mouth, too late. Kii stirred, then sat up, his hair falling in a tangle over his shoulders. He was shirtless, and as his legs were still under the blanket, Haku couldn't be sure whether he was wearing anything at all. Kii blinked at him; his eyelids were still heavy with sleep and it gave him a sultry, seductive look. He quirked an eyebrow. 

"I—" Haku began, but couldn't think of anything to say. His toe was throbbing with the pain of the splinter and he wanted to pull it out, but couldn't force himself to move, couldn't bring his eyes away from Kii's. 

Kii stared at him a long moment, then asked, "Did you hurt yourself?" 

"I'm sorry," Haku began at once, then stopped as he registered the question. "I stepped on a splinter; I didn't mean to wake you." 

Kii yawned and brushed his long hair out of his eyes lazily. "You didn't? Then why are you here?" He waved away Haku's sputtered attempt at a response, then asked, "So what can I do for you so early in the morning?" A hint of a smile touched his lips. "Didn't you sleep well?" 

"I didn't," Haku said heavily. 

"And you haven't been sleeping well for some time," Kii said. He pushed the blanket away from his legs. Haku tensed, then relaxed as he saw that Kii was wearing a pair of loose cotton pants, faded blue and soft-looking. He looked nice in blue, Haku decided. He liked him in blue. Kii opened his wardrobe and pulled down a hinged square of wood, revealing a mirror and some assorted cosmetics. He picked up a hairbrush and said off-handedly, "If you want, I'll sing you another lullaby." 

Haku looked down at the floor, thinking of the nightmares he had, and Kii said, "Alright then, I'll see you in your rooms tonight." 


	5. Under the Kimono

**Chapter Five: Under the Kimono**

Haku watched the last of the day's sunlight disappear from the rapidly darkening sky, and a scattering of stars awaken in the heavens. Sighing, he sat down on his futon, rubbing his aching shoulder. 

Despite his calm exterior, inside, Haku was fretting. His heart was beating against his ribs like a dove beats its wings against the bars of a cage; his stomach felt as if it were tying itself into knots. _And all over a few simple questions,_ he thought wryly. Taking a deep breath, Haku went over the questions in his mind once more, determined to get some answers out of Kii. _How did you get here? Where are you from? Why are you here?_ Those were the only three, among so many others, that he was allowing himself to ask; but behind every other thought were more and more questions. _Why do you make me feel this way? Why do you let them touch you?_ Haku shook his head. He couldn't let himself get distracted. 

He knew Kii wouldn't arrive at his room for some time yet; the spirits themselves were just waking up, and Kii had a full schedule almost every day. Haku tried to imagine what it was like for him: wake up in the morning, get dressed, comb all his silky black hair into the neat bun at the base of his neck. Tune his lute, take a look in the mirror to make sure his kimono hung off of him just _so,_ giving the casual onlooker just enough of a glimpse of flawless porcelain skin to make them want more. 

Haku had a sudden image of Kii praying before the gray kimono in the glass case in his room. Whose could it have been? It was too big for Kii's lithe frame, and though Kii's appearance and mannerisms mimicked those of a woman's, the kimono was far too feminine to be his. Could it have been his mother's? Haku, being a river spirit, had never had a mother, other than the earth from which his river had once sprung. He somehow doubted that the kimono belonged to Kii's mother. Whose, then? A lover? Haku's stomach twisted oddly. No. It couldn't be. It was not. 

Haku glanced outside. It was now full night, and he could hear the cacophony of the bathhouse below his rooms. Kii would be down there by now, tending to his customers. Officially, he was a musician, whose job was to soothe the customers with the songs of his lute and the sound of his voice. Too often, however, his clients wanted—and got—more. _How often,_ Haku wondered, _is he forced to let that red kimono slip down past his shoulders? How often will he shudder in revulsion at the touch of a stranger, moan and arch his back and cry out in pretended ecstasy? _

Does he hate himself? Is he ashamed? 

Haku lay back on his futon and stared up at the ceiling. _As I hate myself,_ he thought slowly. _As I am ashamed._

He heard Kii's quiet step outside the door. 

As before, Kii knocked twice, then opened the door and stepped inside the room. Haku sat up suddenly, then winced and grunted as his shoulder twinged in protest of the movement. Kii knelt on the floor. 

"You're hurt," he observed quietly. 

Haku straightened. "I have some questions I want to ask you. How—" 

"Let me see," Kii interrupted. 

Haku shook his head. "It's only a bruise. It isn't bad. Now how did—" 

"Let me see it," Kii repeated, a little more forcefully. He set his lute aside. 

Reluctantly, Haku slipped his shirt down off his shoulder, bearing the purple-black bruise there. Kii leaned forward to take a closer look; Haku could feel his breath on his skin. Raising one delicate hand, Kii ran two fingers lightly over the bruise, as if trying to make sure it was real. His touch sent chills dancing up Haku's spine, and he shivered. Kii blinked and leaned back again. "How did you hurt yourself?" 

"Flying," Haku replied, still feeling tingly. "There was a gust of wind; I was thrown into a ravine." 

"Ah." Kii's kimono slipped off of his left shoulder, and he moved to pull it back up; Haku's hand moved on its own and stopped him. Kii looked at him blankly, but said nothing. 

Haku took a breath. "I want to ask you some questions." 

Kii stared at him. His eyes glowed with the light of the moon, and he licked his lips: a slow, sensual motion that made Haku's heart jump. "What questions?" Kii asked innocently, and Haku kissed him. 

Kii didn't seem to react with surprise or disgust: he didn't seem to react at all. After a moment Haku pulled away, releasing Kii's hand. He could feel his cheeks burning with shame. 

"So you're not interested in a lullaby tonight," Kii observed quietly, and leaned forward to kiss Haku again. Kii's movements were gentle and slow compared to the desperate and panicky advance of Haku; being more experienced, he knew how to kiss someone. And he did, closing his eyes and touching Haku's throat in a way that sent sparks flying all through Haku's body. He moved to touch Kii, but his hands were shaking and Kii's lips on his felt like fire, the gentle touch of his tongue stoking a flame that was burning inside both of them. 

Haku pulled away, put his hands on Kii's shoulders, and pushed him down onto the hard wooden floor away from his futon. Kii made a tiny _uff!_ sound as his back hit the floor and the air was forced out of his lungs, and reality came rushing back to Haku in a flood. 

"I—I'm sorry," Haku gasped, his heart still pounding. He straightened, giving room for Kii to sit up. "I shouldn't—I can't do this to you." 

Kii only stared at him, propped up on his elbows. His kimono had fallen partway open, exposing his chest and abdomen, and he lay almost in the same position Haku had pushed him into—with his legs apart, bent at the knees. Haku swallowed hard. "Every night you—you let people touch you. You let them touch you and grope you and humiliate you, all for money." Kii sat up the rest of the way, pulling his kimono closed. "I can't do that to you. I can't be like them." 

"Don't be so melodramatic," Kii murmured, and kissed Haku again, pressing close. Haku stiffened, then relaxed as Kii stroked his face, pushing him down the other way, back onto the futon. Kii had on knee between Haku's legs and was now kissing his neck, letting each movement bring them closer together. Haku touched Kii's bare skin underneath his kimono, then smiled as Kii made a little delighted sound. Together they pulled his kimono off and cast it aside. 


	6. Lotus

**Chapter Six: Lotus**

Kii traced the characters of his name into Haku's hand. _Ki. Oh. Ne._ Haku was half asleep, arms and legs entangled with Kii's, watching him with heavy-lidded eyes. "Haku," Kii began, but Haku leaned in and kissed him, cutting off his words. He was unafraid, now, to touch Kii's soft, delicate skin; he lived for the moment when Kii cried out in rapture. Now, though, Kii squirmed and pulled away. "Haku," he said again, breathlessly. "I'm worried." 

"Worried?" Haku murmured, kissing Kii's throat and then burying his face in his hair. "About what?" 

Kii twisted around so he could look Haku in the eyes, and Haku finally let go of him to pay attention. "Yubaba knows I came here last night, and she's going to want to see the money I made. She's also probably noticed…" he averted his eyes. "That I've been here all night." 

Haku sat up a little, running his hand through his hair so that it fell a little more neatly. "Yubaba," he said darkly, making the name sound like a plague. "All she thinks about is money." But he saw the pleading look in Kii's eyes and smiled. "I won't make trouble. I'll give you money to give to her." 

Kii relaxed and pressed against him. "Oh Haku…" he sat up a little. "I should go." 

Haku took his hand. "Don't. Leave them." Why did he feel that if he let go of Kii, he would vanish with the morning sun? 

As though sensing his thoughts, Kii reached out to stroke Haku's hair, smiling slightly. "I won't abandon you, Haku. Now—" he kissed him sweetly on the cheek. "The gold, that I might give Yubaba her share?" 

"Of course." Haku stood, then helped Kii to stand. He looked on in adoration as the pinkish light of the dawn glowed on Kii's bare skin. He watched as he knelt to gather up his kimono, his long black hair sliding over his back; before he knew what he was doing, Haku had pushed him back onto the futon.   


*******

  


Haku watched as Yubaba prepared to leave the bathhouse, to fly off into Lands Unknown as she did regularly. Before she wrapped her cape around herself, she paused to eye Haku, who was looking anxious. "What's wrong with you lately?" She demanded in her usual blunt manner. "You aren't planning something, are you? Real name or no, you're still under my contract, and I have every right to turn you into a lizard after all the trouble you've given me; I'm only keeping you around out of the kindness of my heart." 

Haku carefully kept his expression bland. "I'm not planning anything." He thought of Kii waiting for him and fought the urge to run to him. _Hurry up, you old hag._

Yubaba took her cape off and tossed it on top of her three Kashira. "I want to know what's going on. Why I have to ring _twice_ for you at night." She thought a moment. "You know, Kii's been canceling important appointments lately, too." She shook her head and turned away for a moment, as if dismissing the subject, then suddenly whirled on Haku, snarling. "I should turn you _both_ into lizards!! I should have known it. He's giving you _freebies."_

Haku struggled to maintain his calm. "I—they aren't freebies. I pay for them, just like everyone else." 

Yubaba seemed to calm down considerably, but she still looked annoyed. "You're keeping Kii from his _real_ work. He's got more important—" she poked Haku in the chest with one of her sharp fingernails. _"—wealthier_ customers to worry about than you." 

Haku thought of the ornate door. "Yubaba, who lives behind the big door on the fifth floor?" 

Picking up her cape again, Yubaba snarled, "It isn't any of your business." Without another word, she wrapped her cape around herself and flew out the window, her bird following behind her. 

Haku stared after her for a moment, then slammed the glass door shut, startling the Kashira. He ran out of the hall, through Yubaba's rooms, and down five flights of stairs until he stumbled to a stop in front of the huge ornate door, standing alone on a blank wall. He stood and stared at it, his breathing ragged, then threw the door open. 

It was like stepping back outside. The room was actually a huge indoor garden, dominated by a circular pond in the center, which was nearly overrun with lotus flowers. Other flowers, sprouting as though wild but obviously neatly tended, grew around the pond. 

Save for the flowers and the pond, the room was empty. 

Haku took a few steps inside. "Hello?" He called. His voice echoed off of the walls. "Anyone in here?" 

The pond rippled as something moved beneath the water's surface. Haku moved to the water's edge and leaned forward, searching the depths, but the lotuses obscured everything from view. He stared for a moment longer, then shook his head and walked out of the room. Kii was surely growing impatient, waiting in Haku's rooms; he could ask _him_ about the ornate door and the room with the lotus pond.   
  
**((Many, many thanks to Chantal-Antoinette, who drew me an awesome fanart of Kii! Go check it out at my website. Thankies!))**


	7. Blossoms on Still Water

**Chapter Seven: Blossoms on Still Water**

  


Weeks passed. Though Haku and Kii met often to make love, they both had busy schedules and usually could not stay together as long as they had on the first night. At the end of each time together, Haku would give Kii three gold coins; it became a sort of joke between them. Kii would take the gold in mock seriousness and murmur, "I'll see you again, Master Haku." 

Haku wondered about Kii when they were apart, formed questions in his mind that he resolved to ask when he saw him again, but each time he laid eyes on Kii, his conscious mind seemed to melt away, taking the questions with it, only to resurface when he was gone. At first, he could satisfy these gnawing mysteries with a lover's skewed logic: _Kii loves me, and that's all that matters._ But over time, the questions grew more pressing, the possible answers Haku imagined damning. Was Kii hiding something from him? The room with the garden—the gray kimono—where Kii was from and who he was—Haku had never asked these things, and now he felt as if he shouldn't. After all, Kii had never asked about Haku's missions, or the nightmares they had spawned, nor his real name, or where he was from. Haku's heart lingered between _He doesn't want to pry_ and _He doesn't care._ But if Kii really wanted to know anything, he could ask one of the other staff members… 

The staff. 

Gossip spread like wildfire among the frogs and the slugs; if anyone knew something about Kii's past, _they_ would. Or they could find out. Haku decided to find Lin, whom he'd managed to befriend after the incident with Chihiro. She was rather easy to locate: by herself scrubbing the Big Tub, her mutterings about lacking an assistant amplified by the tub's shape. 

Haku stepped into the room, glanced around to make sure the other staff members were otherwise occupied, and whispered, "Lin!" 

Lin poked her head out of the tub, her irritated expression vanishing when she recognized Haku. "Haku!" she cried out, then clamped her mouth shut when Haku put a finger to his lips. "Haven't seen you in a while," she whispered loudly. "What's the occasion?" 

Haku leapt up onto the edge of the tub like a cat, startling Lin and causing her to fall backwards into the sludge at the bottom of the tub. Haku watched coolly as Lin picked herself up, scowling. Crouching down, Haku whispered, "What do you know about Kii, the musician?" 

"That he's not a musician," Lin replied promptly in a more normal tone of voice. Haku looked around, but no one seemed to be listening. "Also that he seems to spend a lot of time on the ninth floor," she quirked an eyebrow, "where your rooms are." 

Haku smiled slightly. "I figured _you'd_ know that." 

Lin shrugged. "The slugs are always hissing about it. You know how they are." 

"Do you know anything else?" Haku prompted, but Lin shook her head. 

"You know I'm not interested in that sort of… thing." 

That stung. Haku sighed. "I know I owe you a few favors already, but could you see what you can find out about him? I want to know." 

Lin huffed. "What's in it for me?" 

"Roasted newt?" Haku began, but Lin shook her head. "Hm. Ah—fried salamander." 

Lin dropped her defenses for a moment. "You _know_ where to get one of those? I mean—" she cleared her throat. "It's a deal, then. Meet me back here tonight, and I'll tell you what I can. And don't forget that salamander." 


	8. Gray Lady

**Chapter Eight: Gray Lady**

Kii ducked behind a wall, then watched Haku slip past. He peered out to watch him disappear around a corner, then came away from his hiding place. Tugging his kimono closed, Kii took a better grip on his lute, then hiked up the hem of his garment and bolted in the opposite direction Haku had gone, hoping to get to elevator in time. Dodging startled guests, his bare feet slap-slapping on the wooden floor, Kii staggered to a stop in front of the elevator, shoved a frog out of the way, stepped inside and jerked on the handle without waiting for anyone else to get in. 

Kii sighed as the elevator began to ascend, taking the time to smooth down his hair and his kimono, then checked to make sure his lute hadn't been damaged. He knew that Haku rarely took the elevator, that he usually took the stairs or flew as a dragon through the window to his room. Haku didn't seem to have been in any particular hurry, so there was a good chance Kii would make it to his chambers before he did. 

It took several elevators to get Kii to the ninth floor, and he stepped out into the hallway just in time to spot Haku coming towards him. Kii slipped into a deep shadow next to a potted fern and grabbed Haku's sleeve as he passed. 

Haku turned, startled, then smiled when he saw Kii's face, half-shadowed by the fern. "Surprise," Kii said huskily. "Where are you off to?" 

"On… an errand," Haku said cautiously, then, "another one of Yubaba's missions." 

Kii took hold of Haku's collar and pulled him closer. "Mmm… again?" 

Haku slipped an arm around Kii's waist. "I suppose I could spare an hour or two." He breathed in Kii's rich scent. "As long as you won't tell anyone." 

Kii leaned forward to kiss Haku for a long moment, then pulled away and breathed into Haku's still-open mouth. "I wrote you a song." 

"Mmm?" Haku's eyes were beginning to look dreamy and clouded; a sure sign that Kii's spell had him under control again. 

Taking Haku's hand and leading him gently down the hallway to his chambers, Kii murmured, "Let me play it for you." Once inside the room, he bade Haku sit down, folded his legs elegantly under himself and readied his lute, then struck a single, high note. Haku closed his eyes and lay back on his futon with a sigh; Kii began to sing.   


Several hours later, Kii looked out at the starry sky and smiled as Haku slept peacefully next to him. It was late; Lin would have given up waiting for Haku by now. With a satisfied smirk, Kii rose to his feet, dressed, picked up his lute and left the room. 

Kii took his time walking down the stairs to the fifth floor; he was in no hurry. Haku would sleep for hours yet, and even then, he was unlikely to make another appointment with Lin. _As if the meddling little fox could find out anything anyway,_ Kii thought to himself smugly. He reached the tall, ornate door and slipped inside without bothering to knock. 

There was the garden with the lotus-filled pond, just as Haku had seen; however this time there was a tall, raven-haired woman standing at the edge of the pond, staring at Kii. Her face was as pale as the moon, her expression warm and serene. Her eyes were the color of thunderclouds, and she was wearing a gray kimono. 

"Kii," she said simply. 

Kii left his lute by the doorway and went to stand closer to the woman in gray. "You are in no danger. I've taken care of things." 

"You stink of him," the Lady said, in the same even tone. Kii did not reply. "Bathe in the pond," she suggested, gesturing with one graceful hand. 

Kii backed a safe distance away. "I'll not, thank you. If you don't need anything else, I'll be going." He turned to leave. 

"Kii," the Lady said again; her voice was ever so slightly sterner. 

Kii checked in the doorway, but did not turn around. "Yes?" 

"If you love him, you may let him go. I do not mind." 

Kii clenched his fists, tightening his grip on his lute. One of the strings snapped and left a thin line of blood on Kii's hand; he ignored it. "Love him? What a ridiculous idea." 


	9. Author Announcement

FOR FF.NET ONLY **A break in the story for a message from the author.**

Dear Readers: 

First of all, I'd like to thank you for your support. With it, my perverted dream about Haku sleeping with a male geisha has been brought to life, and to my complete surprise, people liked it! 

Okay, some people hated it. But that's not the point. 

The point is, when I started out, I never thought people would _like_ Kii so much. In my mind, he's always been a jerk to whom money is more important than flimsy, unreliable emotions like love. However as I've written the fic and read your reviews, Kii has grown and changed. He feels, now; he has a heart and a past. Like Beauty with the Beast, Haku brought out the vulnerable, delicate Kione that was trapped behind the hardened, ugly façade of Kii. 

...But I really, really liked the ending I'd had planned all along-- it would echo the original story's message about Greed, and leave canon fans to return to their Chihiro pairing. 

But do I really want to be flamed to a cinder by all the Kii/Haku fans just for a clean ending? 

Not really. 

So I am here to announce the decision to post TWO SEPARATE ENDINGS to the Spirited Away fic, Lullaby. You're free to choose whichever you like better to end your reading of the story. 

Now, for some lighter news. 

Although still working as an "entertainer" at Yubaba's bathhouse, Kii is now moonlighting as an advice columnist. You read right. He's open to all questions: romance, school, work, love-life troubles, or requests for inside info on the staff at the bathhouse. Naturally, he won't be answering personal questions about Haku's, er, performance, but he's asked me to point out that he wouldn't have kept going back if Haku was a bad lay. 

So if you'd like to ask Kii a question, or even just comment on his attitude, send him an email at Payfirst@hotmail.com, with "Hey Kii?" as the subject. Please be aware that as Kii has his own ups and downs with life, his answers may sometimes be a bit harsh. Don't take it personally. Answers will be posted on my website (I'll make it easy for you to find). 

And now's when I find time to write chapter nine. That rhymes. Sublime! 

--Samalander


	10. ENDING SCENARIO NUMBER ONE: The Truth, t...

**Chapter Nine: ENDING SCENARIO NUMBER ONE**

"Haku? Haku!!" 

_Haku was underwater, swimming, not as a dragon, but as a man. He could see the surface and clawed desperately towards it, but it was too far away and he was running out of air…_

"Haku! Wake up!" 

_He could see the sun, now, shining above the water, partially obscured by some floating plants… He reached up a hand to bring him to the surface, and just above, there was a face, someone calling to him…_

"Haku, _please--!"_

_Almost to the surface now… almost…but-something was grabbing at him, long tentacles pulling him down by his ankles. He could hear a voice screaming, his own lungs burning with lack of air, bubbles rising in a torrent around him--_

Someone was shaking him. Weakly, he reached up to shield his face from his attacker. "Mnnuh-" 

"Haku?" The shaking stopped. "Are you alive?" Haku opened his eyes to a blur of pink and brown. After a moment, his vision adjusted and he recognized Lin crouching over him, looking slightly panicked. Haku opened his mouth to speak, swallowed dryly, then tried again. "L-Lin?" 

"Kii, that little rat-- what did he do to you?" Lin hauled Haku into a sitting position, none too gently, and Haku's vision spun for a moment before settling back down. "I waited for you back at the Big Tub, and I got worried when you didn't show. Hey! Are you listening to me?" 

Haku shook his head to clear it. "I… Kii?" He took his first clear look around the room; it stank of high sorcery. He remembered Kii singing to him, but before that… 

"Haku?" Lin ventured. 

"You… were waiting for me?" His head felt filled with cotton. 

Lin nodded. "You asked me if I knew anything about Kii. Remember?" 

Haku closed his eyes. "Yes… I remember. I asked you because… He would never tell me-- no, that wasn't it. Because I would never ask." 

Lin blinked. "Why? Did you forget?" 

Haku leapt to his feet and slid into his dragon form, crashing through the door and out into the hallway before he was even fully finished with the transformation. He shot down the nearest flight of stairs with lightning speed and emerged onto a crowded floor, scattering staff and customers and leaving a blizzard of torn papers and bits of food in his wake. From there he flew straight down the central shaft around which every floor centered, slowed almost imperceptibly as he searched for the right door, then made an abrupt turn and crashed through it, almost blowing the fragile thing off of its track. 

And there it was, as if there were nothing else in the world: the Door. 

In his dragon form, Haku's thoughts and emotions were simpler; looking at the door now, the emotion _fear_ chilled him, caused him to stop his reckless charge and stare, hovering, at the door. There was no why, no confusion-- only fear and, a new emotion flowering inside his breast, anger. 

_This isn't going to work, something inside him said. There is no black and white with Kii(want), with that room (fear, anger). I must think, I must change back and go into that room. Fear. Fear. FEAR_. But now, he could hear someone running up the stairs behind him. Haku dropped back into his human form and pushed the door open. 

There, again, the room with the pond in the center. A woman, a lady stood there now. She wore the same gray kimono that had been in the glass case in Kii's room. Haku paused briefly in the doorway, then squared his shoulders and stepped into the room, letting the heavy door swing shut behind him. 

As he approached her, Haku felt a sudden sucking, pulling at his body, his life-force. He staggered, then took two steps back. "What--" he gasped, bringing his hand up to ready a spell. The lady smiled. 

"Kii has been trying to keep you from me. But you have come of your own free will." 

"Who are you?" Haku demanded. "What do you have to do with Kii?" 

"Ah. Kii." The lady demurely pushed her long black hair out of her face. 

Haku was expecting her to continue, until he saw that the Lady's gaze was fixed somewhere behind him. With a knot tightening in his stomach, Haku turned around. 

Kii was standing there, all his former poise and grace gone: his kimono hung askew, his silky hair was in disarray. He was drawing slow, ragged breaths, his eyes wild. 

"Get-- away-- from her," he snarled. 

Haku took a cautious step towards him. "Kii?" he ventured. "What_ is_ all this? What's going on?" 

Kii pulled his kimono shut. "You shouldn't be here," he said, his voice still only a pitiful mockery of his former quiet, serene manner of speech. "I should kill you for setting foot in this place." 

Haku shook his head in disbelief. "Kii-- I don't understand. This woman--" 

"--is my mother," Kii cut in harshly. His shoulders sagged, and he put a hand over his eyes tiredly. "Please, just go." 

Taking advantage of Kii's momentary distraction, Haku stepped forward and put his arms around him. "Please," he whispered, "don't lie to me anymore." 

Kii jerked at Haku's touch, and he looked up at him through a tangle of black hair. His eyes were cold. "Fine," he spat. "No more lies." 

Haku let go of him, and they matched gazes for a long moment. Kii's expression was full of hate, his mouth twisted down into an ugly snarl. His eyes gleamed with pain. "I... thought you loved me," Haku said. "I love y--" 

"Shut up," Kii snapped. "You don't love me. There's nothing between us but _sex._ There was never any feeling there." 

Haku's mouth dropped open. "That's not true! I--" 

Kii grabbed the embroidered pouch at his belt and threw it at Haku's feet. It burst open, scattering cold coins across the mossy floor. It was all the money Haku had given Kii. "Gold is poison," Kii said. His voice shook. "I was never anything more than a whore to you. And that's all I'll be-- a whore. There's no _love_ involved here." He took a shuddering breath. "There never will be." 

Haku stared at Kii, then looked down at the gold at his feet. He cast a glance at the lady in gray behind him; the woman had turned her back on the both of them. Slowly, he turned back to Kii, who refused to meet his eyes. After a moment, Haku stepped quietly around him and left the room.   


Haku lay awake for a long time that night, looking out at the stars and thinking. _Did I really love him? Or was it just... lust?_ Kii's absence had left a gaping hole in Haku's soul. _If there was ever something there, the gold killed it. Greed kills everything. It's poison, just like Kii said._

Near morning, Haku finally decided to go back to Kii and try to start over, try to make things right. Even if Kii wouldn't have him again, Haku couldn't bear to see him suffer. 

But as he descended the stairs, he noticed a large crowd gathering at the bridge in front of the bathhouse. Customers craned their necks to see, while panicked staff tried to keep them back. Haku elbowed his way through the crowd and looked down over the rail at the bridge. 

At the bottom of the crevice, across the railroad tracks, lay Kii's still, broken body. His crimson kimono was stained a darker red here and there, and his neck was set at an unnatural angle. Before Haku could do anything, a customer at the other side of the bridge shouted, "Here comes the train!!"   
**END of the Lullaby fanfiction.**   


Author's Note: If this is not the ending you were hoping for, please go on to the next chapter to read the second ending scenario. 


	11. ENDING SCENARIO NUMBER TWO: The Truth, T...

  


**Chapter Nine: ENDING SCENARIO NUMBER TWO**

  


Haku woke with the morning sun on his face. Kii was already gone, as usual; he didn't have the time to stay with Haku through the night, but now, feeling the cold indentation Kii's body had made in the futon, Haku wished that he _had_ stayed until morning. He frowned slightly. Kii hadn't even waited to be paid. 

Haku dressed slowly, thinking about what things he had to do in the coming day. When he looked out at the rising sun, something just below it caught his attention: it was Kii, standing at the edge of the bridge in front of the bathhouse, looking down onto the railroad tracks below. Haku watched him for a moment, then, without thinking, leapt deftly from his balcony down onto the bridge, nine stories below. He landed softly, then came up behind Kii and laid a hand on his shoulder. Kii started. 

"Haku?" He said softly. "What are you doing out here?" 

Haku put an arm around Kii's waist from behind. "I could ask you the same thing." 

Kii stepped away from Haku's touch. "I... need to be alone." 

Haku looked from Kii's downcast eyes to his white-knuckle grip on the bridge railing, then reached out and took his wrist in a firm grip. "No." 

"What?" Kii tugged, but Haku held his grip. "What do you mean, no? Let-- let me go." 

Haku pulled Kii gently towards the center of the bridge. "Come away from there. Come on." Kii looked up at Haku, then wordlessly buried his face in his shirt. Haku froze, startled; it was the most emotion Kii had ever shown towards him. He put his arms around Kii and found that the young man was shaking. Haku touched Kii's hair, then loosed it from the bit of ribbon that kept it tied back. Unbound, Kii's silky black hair tumbled down past his shoulders. Haku pushed it aside and bent to brush his lips against Kii's neck; he felt Kii relax a little and lean into him. When Haku pulled away, he saw that Kii had tears in his eyes, which were spilling down his cheeks. 

"I... hate all this. I hate it," Kii moaned brokenly. He started to turn away, but Haku caught him. 

"Tell me what's wrong." Haku wiped Kii's tears away with one finger, but still more spilled down to replace them. "I thought things were all right between us. Or is this about that room on the fifth floor...?" He blinked in surprise as Kii's sobs began anew. Abandoning his questions for the moment, Haku drew Kii to him once again and let him sob quietly against his chest. Haku heaved a sigh, helped Kii to straighten his kimono, and said, "Come on. Let's go somewhere more private where we can talk." 

He led Kii through the garden and down the rickety wooden staircase, to Kii's room next to the boiler. Kamaji was awake, but he made no comment as he silently watched the two boys pass. The soot-sprites moved to clear a path for them. Kii was pale and quiet the whole way, staring down as though to make sure his feet were working properly. 

Haku let Kii enter his room, then followed him and shut the door gently. He gestured to the futon, and Kii looked up to glare at him. "Sit down, so we can talk," Haku said, and, reluctantly, Kii did so. 

Silence descended. Haku sighed. "Kii..." 

"I don't want to talk," Kii said softly. 

"There's things I need to know about you," Haku insisted. 

Kii looked away. "Like?" 

"Everything," Haku replied, and Kii looked at him again. "We meet, we kiss, and we make love, but I know almost nothing about you," he went on. "I want to know. I love you." 

Kii drew his knees to his chest. "No you don't. You don't _love_ me. I'm just... just sex. I'm just a whore to you." He swallowed, and his eyes brimmed with tears once more. "That's all I am. Just a whore." 

Haku stiffened, taken aback, then his hand darted forward and he jerked Kii's head over to face him. "You are _not_ a _whore._ You are Kii-- Kione, a musician. I want to help you. I want to know everything about you, your music, your life. I want to make that life part of _mine._ I _love_ you. Do you understand?" 

Kii stared at him, wide-eyed. "But-- the gold--" 

"I paid you because I thought you might get in trouble with Yubaba," Haku said. "But not any more. No. Not ever again. I don't want you to be some lifeless doll that I force myself on every night. I want you to be _you."_

Kii slumped a little, still moon-eyed, then suddenly put his face in his hands. "Oh-- Oh Gods," he whispered. "Oh Haku..." 

Haku moved closer to Kii and wrapped his arms around him, leaning down to smell his hair and kiss his ear. Kii turned in Haku's embrace and kissed him passionately. He pulled away, then hugged him hard, shutting his eyes tight. "Oh, please don't go away. Don't ever go away... Don't let this be a dream." 

"I'm not a dream," Haku said, just as Kii whispered, "I love you." 

They drew together to kiss again and again, with a fire and passion that they had never known before. There was also a desparation: Kii held Haku tightly, not wanting to let go, not wanting it to end. Haku reached down under Kii's kimono to touch him, and Kii closed his eyes and kissed Haku's skin, trembling. "Oh. Oh yes." 

Haku bit down gently on Kii's ear, his hands still working. Kii moaned. "I want to leave this place," Haku whispered. "With you." 

Kii was gasping, kissing Haku's neck, his hands gripping and releasing. "Oh I-- I can't," he said. "N-no. Don't stop. But I _can't,"_ he went on, torn between two needs. 

Haku braced Kii against him, one hand on Kii's lower back. He kept his fingers moving. "Tell me, then." 

"Nnh. Don't... ah. Th-- the Lotus Spirit. The woman in the gray kimono-- fifth floor. She-- _ohh!"_ Kii tensed. 

Haku kept his fingers stroking, massaging, while Kii took a few ragged breaths. "Sh-- she-- I'm repaying a debt to her. I can't leave her until I-- hahh-- until I've repaid her." 

"What did she do?" Haku asked, using his free hand to wrap Kii's hair around his fingers. "What kind of debt?" 

"I--" Kii sighed, then cried out in pleasure as Haku began his work anew. For a few moments, Haku let Kii lean against him and moan in ecstacy, then quickened his movements until Kii gripped him hard and gasped, his muscles quivering. Haku withdrew his hand. Kii drew several shuddering breaths, then let go of Haku to lay back on his futon. He closed his eyes. "I... owe her my life. She and I... have been here even before the bathhouse was built. I-- she--" Kii put a hand over his eyes. "I need to sleep." 

"Sleep, then." Haku smiled as he leaned down to kiss Kii's forehead. He lay down next to him and stroked his hair, murmuring in his ear, until Kii's breaths were shallow and even, his body relaxed. Haku stood up and laid Kii's blanket over his sleeping form, then stepped quietly out of the room.   


Kamaji was doing his best to act like it was not strange at all to see two men enter a room, hear muffled gasping and moaning, and see only one come out, looking somber. He watched Haku out of the corner of his eye as he stepped over and around the soot sprites at work. 

"Kamaji." 

"Eh?" The old man turned to look at him, his many arms still working. 

Haku smoothed down his shirt as he looked up at Kamaji. "Who-- or what-- lives in the room on the fifth floor? A lady in gray? Have you seen her?" 

Kamaji thought for a moment, using a free hand to scratch behind his ear. "Hmm... No, she hasn't come through this way asking for a job, if that's what you want to know." 

"Have you heard anything about... a Lotus Spirit?" 

"Lotus Spirit? Ah." Kamaji extended an arm out to poke Haku in the chest. "I don't know what you're up to, hanging about with that fishy _musician_ character, but don't you go getting into trouble with a Lotus Spirit. They're dangerous." 

Haku blinked. "Dangerous?" 

Turning back to his work, Kamaji nodded. "Lotus Spirits aren't really spirits at all-- they're more like demons. They live at the bottom of ponds, waiting for someone to stop by to admire the lotus blossoms on the surface. And when someone gets close enough-- kachak-splash!" He darted a hand out and grabbed a soot sprite to demonstrate. The sprite squeaked and squirmed in his grip. "They pull you right in and suck the life out of you. It's said that sometimes, the spirits can emerge in a human form, but seeing as I've never been to a Lotus pond..." He flicked the sprite back down to the floor, where it fled in terror. 

"Thank you, Kamaji." Haku bowed. "Now, I have to go. If Kii wakes up before I'm back, tell him to wait here." 

"Eh? Hey!" Kamaji shook a fist at Haku's retreating back. "What did I tell you! Fool!" He snorted as Haku disappeared around the corner. "Feh. Fools in love... Nothin' you say to 'em makes any difference." He looked down at the soot sprites, who were staring out the way Haku had went. "Hey you! Get back to work, you lazy balls of soot!!"   


Haku took two elevators to get to the fourth floor, then climbed the stairs to the fifth. He realized, now, that although there were stairs through all of the floors, all of the elevators skipped the fifth floor altogether. There were no baths here, no guest rooms, no restaurants-- it was just four blank walls and the one ornate door, and the stairs urging the traveller onto the next inviting floor. 

Haku strode to the door and flung it open, then stepped inside. "Show yourself!" He called. "I know you're here, Lotus Spirit! Come out!" 

_Come into the pond, and I will speak with you,_ rang a feminine voice. 

Haku frowned. "No. You come out, or I'll blow your pond and your garden apart! What have you done to Kii?! What does he owe to you?" 

_Aaaahhhh._ The pond rippled, causing the lotus blossoms on the surface to sway. Then the water parted, and a woman with black hair in a gray kimono emerged. She had porcelain skin and a dreamy smile. "You are Haku, then." 

"Yes," Haku replied. "Now tell me what he owes to you." 

The lady smiled. "Kione the musician was walking by my pond one day, on his way to a concert. He was very famous, and very beautiful-- everyone loved him. He loved him_self_ the most. He knew that my pond was dangerous and had no interest in looking at the lotus blossoms, but as he passed he saw his reflection in the water and, forgetting all caution, drew close to admire it. I pulled him in, of course." The lady chuckled. "He begged for his life, at such length that I had to allow him to live, if only to keep him quiet. Allow him to live, but in my service. Many travellers knew of the dangers of my pond, and I was growing weak with hunger. So I kept him, to send him out to lure travellers back to my pond with his beauty and song. He is bound to me, now. He is mine. As are _you!"_ The lady shouted, and darted forward. Haku staggered back, but not fast enough; the lady grabbed him around the throat and her mouth opened wide, wider, revealing long white teeth. Haku struggled, trying to wrench away, but the lady's grip was too powerful. He then did the last thing he could think of: he dove into his dragon form, and his sheer mass broke the Lotus Spirit's grip. She grabbed him again, but Haku whipped her with his tail, driving her back. He snarled at her, tail lashing. Growling, the lady began to retreat back to her pond, but Haku leapt forward and sank his fangs into her, and felt her spine snap in his jaws. He shook her once, twice, then spat her out, leaving her to slump onto the ground, bleeding and gasping in pain. 

"Gluh... kahk... demon-- fool!" The lady said hoarsely, then was silenced by Haku's tail once more. 

Haku watched her still body, to make sure she would not rise again, not ever. When he was satisfied, he dumped her into the pond. Her body melted into a thick black ooze that sank to the bottom of the pond. As it did, the Lotus blossoms on the surface shimmered into light, then drifted away. 

Haku slid back into his human form, panting. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then, barely able to contain his excitement, raced out the door and down the stairs to the boiler room. 

Kii was there, arguing with Kamaji. "What do you mean, he left? Where did he go?" 

Kamaji sighed, irritated. "For the last time-- ah, Haku! There you are!" 

Kii looked to Haku, then ran to him. "Haku! What--" he looked down at Haku's clothes, which were stained with blood. "Oh, Haku, what _happened?"_

"I did it," Haku gasped, hugging Kii. "I did it. I freed you." 

"You-- what?" Kii blinked, then smiled as Haku hugged him harder.   


Though it took a few minutes to explain everything to Kii (and to Kamaji, who insisted on knowing the whole story), when Haku was finished, Kii broke down sobbing again. "Oh Haku," he sobbed. "You might have been killed." 

Haku smiled at Kamaji, then led Kii back into his room. "Pack all your things," he said. "I want to leave here with you." 

Kii sat down very suddenly on his futon. "Oh, I feel dizzy. I-- what about Yubaba?" 

"I can take care of her," Haku insisted. "Hurry; I want to leave as soon as we can. We can go and-- and build a house. We can walk along the railroad tracks until--" 

"--Oh, I can't bring everything, what can I leave behind--" 

"--Ms. Zeniba can lend us a hand--" 

"Oh, Haku, I--" 

There was a loud knocking on the door. 

Kii and Haku froze, silent. The knocking sounded again, and Kii rose to answer it. Before he reached it, though, the door slammed open and Kii was forced back by a wall of flame, at the center of which stood Yubaba. 

"Haku!" she growled. "You can take care of me, eh? Why, you ungrateful little newt! I'll turn you into a toad!" 

"I'm leaving here," Haku said. "Today. And I'm not going to let you stop me." He turned to face her.   
  
**END of the Lullaby Fanfiction.**


End file.
